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Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 now available

The Mozilla developers have now released the latest version of the Firefox OS simulator. Designed to allow developers to create and test applications for Firefox OS without having to try and get their hands on the limited supply of application-creator-oriented Geeksphone developer preview phones.

The new version of the simulator adds simulations of some of the more physical elements of a phone, specifically being rotated and being in different places; now the virtual phone of the simulator can be flipped between portrait and landscape orientations and, using a simulated geolocation API, apps can ask where they appear to be. Clicking the map pin icon in the toolbar lets a developer specify where that simulated location is, but at the moment it only accepts raw latitude and longitude, rather than offering a map interface of its own.

For developers who do have a Firefox OS device, they will find development made easier with the simulator's support of "Push to Device", which allows any app in the simulator to be sent over USB to an attached Firefox OS phone. Other changes in the simulator include updated versions of the rendering engine and UI libraries, shortcuts to reinstall or restart apps, a much smaller download and faster startup time thanks to size reductions in the simulator, and support for OS-standard ways to close or quit the simulator. The developers now have documentation online which covers how to install the Simulator add-on and how to use the console to debug applications running in the simulator.